Austin, Texas — On Monday, May 21, 2018, Representative Shawn Thierry (D-Houston) submitted a written appeal to Governor Abbott deeming the issue of gun violence a crisis worthy of calling the Texas legislature back to special session.With 22 national school shootings in 2018 and the Santa Fe High School shooting being the deadliest in Texas since the 1966 UT Tower Shooting, Rep. Thierry stated, “We cannot successfully protect our children, teachers, and families if we continue to operate in a ‘business as usual’ or ‘thoughts and prayers’ mentality. As a woman of faith, I fervently pray against evil, however, I am also reminded that scripture teaches ‘faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead’. (James 2:17).”

Gov. Abbott recently announced his decision to convene roundtable discussions with diverse stakeholders to discuss more effective ways to protect students from school shootings. Representative Thierry also requested the opportunity to have a seat at the Governor’s roundtable discussions and stated that the legislature must act swiftly, putting politics aside in order to save lives.

As a member of the Texas legislature and a mother of a rising first grader, Representative Thierry has a unique standing and passion to work on legislation to solve the issue of gun violence in our schools. She shared, “My constituents are fearful about the safety of their children, and I must take action to address their concerns. In my role as a mom, when taking my daughter to school, I too, now live under the fear of whether my child is going to make it back home to me alive. ”

“This is a pivotal moment in time for the leadership in Texas to set an example for the nation. We must demonstrate that our great state of Texas has the resolve and the will to provide the necessary resources to better ensure the safety of our children. We also need action from our federal government, but in the meantime, we must show that Texas will lead the way,” remarked Rep. Thierry.

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HOUSTON (April 30, 2018) – Texas Southern University (TSU) held its The Maroon and Gray Affair on Saturday, April 28 at the Marriott Marquis Houston and raised in $1 million in funding for deserving TSU students. More than 1,500 patrons were in attendance. Award-winning journalist Tamron Hall was the keynote speaker, entertainment was provided by R&B group En Vogue and comedian Billy Sorrells, a TSU alumnus, who served as the master of ceremonies along with KHOU-TV’s Great Day Houston host Deborah Duncan. The Maroon & Gray Affair, a black-tie event in its second year, recognized two top students and two outstanding alumni. The gala was created by TSU President Austin A. Lane and TSU First Lady Loren Lane.

“The Texas Southern family joined together to salute our fantastic students and accomplished alumni. Our stakeholders and friends have partnered with TSU to meet our mission of standing as a comprehensive academic institution to guide our students in obtaining their degree of choice,” said TSU President Dr. Austin A. Lane.

TSU students Aaron Dallas and Camille Mills were honored for their academic and leadership. The Honorable Senfronia Thompson, State Representative D-141, and the Honorable Rodney Ellis, Harris County Commissioner for Precinct One, were recognized as this year’s alumni honorees.

“What a lovely evening as we gathered to support higher education,” said Mrs. Lane. “We know that the generosity of our guests will help TSU support these deserving students on their path to a better life.”

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner welcomed gala guests at the top of the evening. Tamron Hall, an Emmy-nominated journalist, former national news anchor for NBC News and current host of Deadline: Crime on the Investigation Discovery channel delivered keynote remarks. En Vogue, featuring Houston native Terry Ellis, performed a set of their R&B hits, including “Hold On,” “Free Your Mind,” “My Lovin’,” “Give Him Something He Can Feel” and their new Top 10 hit, “Rocket.”

“Our alumni, donors and major stakeholders delivered excellent support to the mission of our gala. All showed their complete dedication to assisting Texas Southern in closing the financial gap for our students,” said Melinda Spaulding, vice president for University Advancement.

ABOUT TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

Texas Southern University (TSU) is a comprehensive, metropolitan institution providing academic and research programs that address critical urban issues, and prepares its increasingly diverse student population to become a force for positive change in a global society. TSU offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs and concentrations – bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degrees – organized into 10 colleges and schools on a 150-acre campus nestled in the heart of Houston’s historic Third Ward. The University’s enrollment has a population of 8,000 undergraduate and graduate-school academic candidates. Texas Southern has been a distinguished educational pioneer since 1927, and the University has become one of the most diverse and respected institutions in Texas. TSU has positioned itself as a proactive leader in

Demontrae Jefferson from Milwaukee put on a show in Texas Southern’s First Four win over NC Central. The Sophomore and SWAC MVP recorded a game-high 25 points to go along with 8 rebounds. He has put up 1,000 points in his young career shooting 8-18 to lead TSU to history for the school first win in an NCAA Tournament after eight attempts.

Their next stop comes against an East Region top seed Xavier in Nashville on Friday night.

The Tigers got off to a slow start in the First Four bracket against the North Carolina Central Eagles making only two of their first nine shots. There star Jefferson hit a jumper and the Tigers seems to have gotten their footing and hit 8-13 baskets. Jefferson had 17 points at halftime and TSU was ahead 36-26.

The Eagles made a push early in the second half to no avail. The Tigers thwarted all attempts after an 11-2 run, NC Eagle, Pablo Rivas’ ended the drought but Tiger Donte Clark quickly answered.

Clark ended the night with 18 points for the Tigers on seven free throws and just 4-14 from the field. Trayvon Reed helped the Tigers to victory by blocking six shots and scoring 10 points off the bench.

Coach Mike Davis coached the Tigers to historic victory after an early season of playing top national teams throughout the country. The Tigers are now 16-19 as they head to Nashville for Friday’s game against Xavier.

Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on March 13announced a joint agreement in which Precinct One will pay $30 million to improve seven streets in the University of Houston-Texas Southern University corridor.

“This is a great example of how Harris County can innovatively and strategically partner with the City of Houston, our universities and other entities to improve mobility, safety and quality of life for all residents,” Precinct One Commissioner Ellis said. “Precinct One is looking forward to supporting TSU and UH, and the entire Third Ward community through this project.”

Earlier on March 13, Commissioners Court voted to negotiate with two engineering firms that will develop the scope of the work.

Dubbed “Complete Streets” project, the improvements dovetail with Mayor Turner’s Complete Communities program, which involves improving Third Ward and four other neighborhoods that have been under-resourced for many years.

“Now I’m excited to see that the Commissioner is bringing safer, more attractive streets to this community of twin universities,” Mayor Turner said. “… If the improvements in these areas were just relying on the city, they would be highly incomplete. I want to thank him for this spirit of collaboration and cooperation with the city utilizing resources at his disposal in order to address many of the needs within the city and within Harris County.”

Precinct One is committing $15 million to improve infrastructure near TSU and another $15 million to projects around UH.

The goal is to create streets that are attractive and a source of neighborhood pride, while improving safety and accessibility to all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders.

In addition to roadway work, the project also includes drainage improvements, which will help reduce street flooding during heavy rain.

“This is a win-win opportunity for everyone,” Commissioner Ellis said. “Pedestrian and bike-friendly streets bring neighbors together and encourage healthy activity. I also hope that these improvements will help attract new businesses and jobs for communities in Third Ward.”

Councilman Dwight Boykins, whose District D includes Third Ward, also praised the city-county partnership.

“Given Houston’s revenue cap, it’s crucial that we lean on different partners to find innovative ways to access desperately needed dollars to support our infrastructure,” Boykins said. “As history has shown us, a collaboration between the county and the city in these matters often falls short of what we need to get this job done. That’s why I’m appreciative of the efforts of Commissioner Rodney Ellis and my friend, Mayor Sylvester Turner, who have brought $30 million into my district.”

The streets in the TSU area are Cleburne (Emancipation to Scott); Blodgett (Scott to Ennis); and Attucks (Cleburne to Wheeler).

The streets near UH are Cullen (Interstate 45 to North MacGregor); Wheeler (Cullen to Scott); Elgin (Scott to I-45); and Holman (Scott to Cullen).

“This project will significantly enhance the gateways into these great institutions by creating a beautiful streetscape for students and residents,” Commissioner Ellis said. “The improvements also will help hundreds of Houston residents who attend classes and work at the universities.”